On 29 July 2020, the CEOs of Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google were scrutinised by the House Judiciary Committee about their business practices.
The committee questioned the CEOs about their alleged monopoly, gatekeeping power and anticompetitive practices, including: self-preferencing; predatory pricing; data-driven leveraging of market power across business areas; copying data from competitors; and so-called killer acquisitions.
Reportedly, the subcommittee plans to publish its findings and make the case for future regulatory reform before the end of 2020.
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), as well as several state antitrust officials also currently investigate the big tech companies. Reportedly, the DOJ is preparing to file antitrust charges against Google’s parent company Alphabet as early as this month of September 2020.
Cullen International's Cheat Sheet summarises the main alleged anti-competitive behaviours, other investigations and next steps in the US.
To access the in-depth report on “US congress subcommittee scrutinises big tech’s power at a bipartisan antitrust hearing”, please click on “Access the full content” - or on “Request Access”, in case you are not subscribed to our Americas Digital Economy service.
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